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The Sign of Four (World's Classics) (Paperback)

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), Christopher Roden (Editor) "Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece, and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks; New edition edition (1 Dec 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0192823795
  • ISBN-13: 978-0192823793
  • Product Dimensions: 18.6 x 11.6 x 0.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,101,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

Miss Mary Marstan receives through the post once a year a large pearl without any clue as to the sender. When her mysterious correspondent requests a meeting, Holmes and Watson start out on a case. A terrible death and vanishing treasure lead to an epic pursuit through the dawn streets and later along the River Thames. The cast of characters include the unfortunate Sholto twins, the mongrel Toby, and the wooden-legged man, as the fire and blood of Mutiny-torn India throw gigantic, distorted silhouettes across late Victorian London.
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Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece, and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. Read the first page
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4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Intriguing Mystery, 31 Aug 2001
This review is from: The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
"The Sign of Four" is the second of Conan Doyle's four longer Sherlock Holmes stories - I wouldn't call it a novel, because it's shorter even than the other three.

The level of detection and the intrigue surrounding the mystery is as clever as ever, and possibly more complex than in its predecessor, "A Study in Scarlet". The structure of the book could be seen as a little clumsy, with the story of Small tacked onto the end as an extra thirty pages - but using the first-person viewpoint like he does, there was no other way for Conan Doyle to integrate it into the story.

This story is also worth reading for its long-term developments in the Holmes stories. We learn of Holmes' cocaine addiction and his reasoning behind it. This is also where Watson meets his wife, which - along with the treasure seeking - makes it the more romantic of the longer stories. The relationship is hardly developed realistically, but Conan Doyle always seems to sacrifice character development in favour of brilliant plots.

If you simply enjoy the mystery and try not to think about such things, the book is very good indeed. It's a very easy read; Conan Doyle's style flowing brilliantly and so offering a perfect form of escapism.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely gripping!, 26 May 2004
By Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
In this, the second Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is called upon by a young lady who needs the great detective's help with a mystery. However, when this mystery leads to murder, Holmes must seek to uncover secrets that have lain hidden for many years, and have their roots in treacheries upon treacheries in far-off India. There's a one-legged man who is at the center of this mystery, and he has a murderous friend who may just be the end of Sherlock Holmes!

As I said, this is the second ever Sherlock Holmes story, written in 1890. As with the very best of the Holmes story, this one is absolutely gripping, carrying a fascinating story with mysteries wrapped up in mysteries that only Mr. Holmes can possibly conquer. As an added bonus, in this story, we get to learn about Dr. Watson's meeting of his true love, and his eventual marriage - which should end some rumors that people spread.

Yep, this is a great story, one that is sure to please any fan of mysteries, and is certain to delight any Sherlock Holmes fan!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another Stunning Holmes Caper, 26 Aug 2009
By Steven Stewart "Critic Extraordinaire" (steveo.stewart@hotmail.co.uk) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Sign of Four (Paperback)
I have not long completed "A Study In Scarlet" which was Doyle's first jump into the world of Sherlock Holmes, and it was a jump I thoroughly enjoyed. Now, after just finishing "The Sign Of Four", I am now set in my convictions to make sure I read every single Holmes adventure written by Doyle. This is a longer and, indeed, more complex case than "A Study In Scarlet" yet the writing style takes a slightly different approach as it remains focused on the investigation of Holmes & Watson rather than split into two the story to try and explain the motive behind the investigated crime.

The skills of Holmes this time are called upon by a young woman of the name of Mary Morstan who tells Holmes of her father's disappearance four years ago and then a mysterious appearance of yearly gifts which started to arrive four years ago. This leads them unexpectedly to the scene of shocking murder which reaches to the depths of far off India and the investigation is engaged upon with the help of a stereotypical detective, a gang of street Arabs and the keen nose of a canine.

There are some fantastic aspects to this piece of Holmes fiction compared to his first outing. Still told from the perspective of Watson it touches upon the most interesting aspect of Holmes' personality that being his inherent drug use. This seemingly large flaw in what appears to be a man with an almost perfect skill is something that makes the character all the more human. It also gives a brief look towards the end of the story as to Holmes' perspective on emotional affairs such as love which he sees as opposite to truth and reason.

This is another fantastic Holmes investigation and just makes me anticipate the further stories that I will delve into. For those not familiar with the Holmes stories, I strongly recommend that you begin your quest with the fantastic "A Study In Scarlet" and then move swiftly onto this as it is truly a gem of class English literature.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-paced addictive puzzle
The Sign of Four is the second Sherlock Holmes novel. It is a fast-paced story involving theft, murder and betrayal, the beginnings of which lie in a robbery that took place... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. B. Hillis

4.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes #2
The 2nd Sherlock Holmes novel follows in much the same vein as the first, with another mystery of revenge and murder for Holmes to unravel, though unlike in 'A Study in Scarlet'... Read more
Published 19 months ago by dogbarkssome

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the lot.
The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in my opinion is the best of the Sherlock Holmes longer stories. Read more
Published 20 months ago by HBH

5.0 out of 5 stars Merrison and Williams breathe new life into "The Sign"
This was the second dramatisation to feature Clive Merrison and Michael Williams as Conan Doyle's immortal duo. Read more
Published on 25 Jul 1999

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